RAIN AND WET ROCK The sandstone around Moab is fragile and is very easily damaged when it is wet. MORE INFO >>>

Holds rip off and climbs have been and will continue to be permanently damaged due to climbers not respecting this phenomenon. After a heavy storm the rock will remain wet, sometimes for several days. PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB IN MOAB during or after rain.

This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project.You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.

Description

This is short, kinda silly, and the climbing is not particularly memorable. However, the approach is a nice hike, with great views, the glade/meadow where this feature is located is a very cute little spot, and the feature itself is a ridiculous shape; a penguin with a blindfold. Maybe it's a labrador puppy. it's very friendly anyway.Approach by hiking up a ledge/stratum from your car. Up and up and up, until you summit the highest point of the ridge. Then contour down (north) and around to enter the penguin's garden.The route begins up a short crack. This is allegedly 5.5, in Bjornstad's book. Hmmmm. You can avoid this by a runout face bit to the right; much more pleasant. I chose the wide crack, and struggled. The final short face is steep, ledgy and fun. See how far you dare step out onto the penguin's bill...Enjoy.

Yes, of course... Get the guidebook and completely eliminate the purpose of this site. Get a job, man. I support the climbing community as much as I have the opportunity to (mountain clean-ups and the like), but it seems to me the purpose of this site is to provide concise information about climbs in/near Moab. For those of us who don't live there and can't drive there every weekend, a guidebook is hardly a worthy expenditure. Plus, having a print-out from this site and other like it means having something of a souvenir for an on-sight or whathaveyou. And finally TuffGong, you didn't have ANY qualms with posting three routes on the site with beta so far. Why the anxiety/reluctance to help out a fellow cragger/crack-er (no pun intended)?

Sorry, I thought Peter Gram wrote out some pretty clear instructions as to how to get to Sunshine Wall. This is not in Arches National Park, it is just outside, immediately north. Simplest thing is to drive 17 (?-I forget exactly) miles north of Moab on 191 to get to the turn-off. The main parking spot is pretty obvious, at the far left end of the wall (the road starts to get rougher after this, and soon becomes real 4x4 after a quarter mile or so, and the hike approach is up the obvious slanting ledgey strata from close to the car up and right, just like it says. You can see the tower when you hike the bottom of the cliff, but you cannot access it from here.

Maybe you don't want to spring for a guidebook, but I'd expect folks to read the Sunshine Wall page with Peter Gram's instructions before demanding more info here. The Visitor Center in Moab will give you a free Utah road map too. Browse the guidebook in Pagan or the Visitor Center and put it back on the shelf. Please, if you expect to get much out of desert climbing, be prepared to have to invest something. Either money in guidebooks, or else some time and effort. This ain't Shelf Road.

Beter to think of this website as another resource for finding and enjoying desert climbs. It's not a guidebook. I don't think it's a replacement for a guidebook.

easy to get to, easy to find the start to the approach. stick close to the drainage on approach and decent. a bit confusing upon arrival because you can not see the overhang. your looking directly at the route. can be done with 3 or 4 peaces. a big hex, a small cam, and a draw. #1 camalot optional. circle around south to good drainages to enter garden. new red sling as of this date on top, with nice bolts. this thing doe's not see a lot of accents. the booze bottle for the summit register was a nice touch. mando for the oddball tower rat or someone looking to scoop an easy one.

Finally ticked this cool looking tower. I parked at the naked women petroglyph, hiked 4 miles all the way around the bend, it's further than you think, then hiked half way back on the top. Made my way down into the canyon, felt way the hell out there. It's really short and I brought way to much gear. I rope soloed it, brought a #2,#3 camalot for the anchor at the bottom, worked my way up the OW, the then placed a .3 C3, clipped the bolt and was at the top. Other towers in the area look really good, and the climbs at the sunshine wall are fun. 8 miles total for 40' of climbing. Total adventure and great views the entire way. How much do you like hiking in sand??

Fun climb and actually worth the hike, especially since it's such a nice hike. Watch the Crypto!

Have to agree with the guidebook on this one, definately the easiest offwidth/chimney I've ever climbed. The friction in the crack and on the slab is excellent. The crux at the top is a little technical so I'll split the difference. ;-)

If you enjoy beautiful hikes this is a must do. The climb is okay but the formation is awesome! In order to avoid crushing cryptobiotic soil on the bench as you head up stay left in the wash until you reach the uppermost point of the hike then scramble over the ridge and down to the "squat tower" in the description.

Great hike to a beautiful spot. The climb was fun but definitely a one move wonder. We added some new webbing to the anchors up top. The old webbing looked ok but it was pretty clear it had been baking in the sun for some time.

Great location. . . love it up there. . . and a nice ~2 mile hike from camp. Or climb one of those base cracks to access the upper level, and you're looking at .5 mile approach. Cool little formation worth scrambling up!